Leader of the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia Zoran Zaev speaks to the press after receiving a presidential mandate to form a government in Skopje, on May 17, 2017 | Robert Atanasovski/AFP via Getty Images

Macedonian opposition gets mandate to form government

The president had refused to allow Social Democrat leader to put together a coalition.

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov gave opposition leader Zoran Zaev a mandate to form a new government after months of refusing to do so, Balkan Insight reported Wednesday.

“The obstacles for awarding the mandate for a new Macedonian government have been removed,” Ivanov said.

Social Democrat leader Zaev managed to put together a coalition with ethnic Albanian parties after an election in December. However in March, Ivanov refused to give Zaev permission to form a government, saying the coalition would grant too many rights to the country’s Albanian minority.

Zaev’s supporters accused Ivanov of protecting the outgoing nationalist party, the VMRO-DPMNE, from criminal prosecution after leaked wiretaps incriminated the party in widespread corruption and illegal surveillance activities during its time in power.

Last month, protesters affiliated with VMRO-DPMNE stormed parliament, attacking Social Democrat and ethnic Albanian MPs after they had elected an ethnic Albanian speaker of parliament.

European officials condemned the attack, and NATO Secretary-General Jen Stoltenberg said “all parties should respect democratic process and engage in dialogue, not violence.”

According to Balkan Insight, international pressure compelled VMRO-DPMNE to condemn the attack, and Ivanov to soften his position on Zaev.

Zaev has 20 days to seek a coalition partner and form a cabinet, AP reported.

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